It has not been an easy year for Chng Kim Huat.  The 63-year-old lost most of the vision in his left eye early last year because of an age-related condition deteriorating his cornea cells.  This, after losing the vision in his right eye more than a decade ago due to another genetic condition.

The world became a blur, but what was harder to bear was the loss of his independence.  He could no longer work as an odd-job labourer – his job for more than 30 years.  Worst of all, he could barely make out the faces of his two grandchildren, aged one and three.  Taking them for walks at the void deck, like he used to, was no longer possible.

Unable to leave home unaccompanied, he spent most days cooped up in the flat in Jurong West he shares with his wife.  “I was really broken-hearted,” Mr Chng said in Mandarin at his home two weeks ago.  “When you can’t see, there is a lot of inconvenience”.  His 63-year-old wife, a retired cleaner-factory worker who asked not to be named said that she had to make adjustments at home after her husband’s recent loss of sight.  Sharp objects cannot be placed near him, for fear of accidental cuts.  And he scalded his arm while pouring hot water to drink, so she now pours it for him. 

All that, however, is set to change in the first week of 2012.  If all goes to plan, he will get a corneal transplant for his left eye some time this week, which will hopefully restore his sight.  The day surgery will take place at the Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC), and is likely to cost $1,500 - $1,700 after subsidy, excluding a cornea handling fee.  It will take at least a week after the operation before he will notice any improvement to his vision. 

Mr Chng suffers from bullous keratopathy, said the centre’s medical director, Professor Donald Tan, who will perform the surgery.  Bullous keratopathy is a painful condition which is usually age-related – the inner layer of the cornea has cells which are depleted with age, and when these cells die off with age, or after cataract surgery, the cornea becomes cloudy and painful, due to blisters appearing on the surface of the cornea. 

Surgery to remove cataracts in Mr Chng’s left eye in August last year aggravated his condition.  The family was informed two weeks ago that a new cornea was available and he has been looking forward to the transplant.  There are two things that he wants to do when the world is clear to him again.  The first is to take down and examine the family portrait hanging in his living room.  The portrait, the Chngs’ first, was snapped when his 28-year-old son graduated from an Australian university early last year.  After all, said Mr Chng, his close-knit family has helped him through this dark period in his life.  The couple also have two adult daughters.  The second thing he wants to do is to see the doctor who gave him his sight back, Prof Tan.  Mr Chng said: “I want to thank him personally.  After that, I just want to be able to lead a more meaningful life and help others.”